Wonderland
by Asian Tensai Tenshi
Summary: Fuji finds himself in a fascinating world that makes him believe that he is dreaming and he has to find a way to get back home. Alice in Wonderland AU. Eventual yaoi/shounen-ai.
1. Chapter 1

So here's a new story (yes, multichapter- the plot bunny would not leave me alone!) and it's basically a Prince of Tennis Alice in Wonderland twisted AU... So... Yeah, school's murdering me and my mom's all like, RAWR at me- but enough of my complaints (you'll get them in a form of another story eventually- I like writing oneshots based off of my own life, usually depressing ones, but whatever). Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Prince of Tennis or Alice in Wonderland.

**Note: **The things in parenthesis are sort of like, little thoughts that supposedly pop into Fuji's head... Not too sure, I added them because it sounded... Alice-in-Wonderland-y.

* * *

Fuji yawned, his attention wavering between his calculus teacher's lesson and the little doodle he was drawing in his notebook. It was a sketch of a cat with an enormous grin (did cats even grin?) and if that wasn't unusual enough, the car seemed to be disappearing (or maybe it was just the pencil?) into thin air. He distinctly registered the teacher calling his name and he looked up. The teacher was pointing at a problem on the board and he had an expectant, almost gleeful, look on his face, as if he was getting ready to scold Fuji or give him detention for not paying attention. Glancing quickly at it, the student correctly solved it and looked back down to his notebook. The teacher's face had gone slack, stunned at the display of intellect. The other students ignored this, used to these displays and the reactions of new teachers, who more often than not were stunned into silence. Fuji was frowning quite hard at his notebook now. The cat drawing had completely disappeared (so it wasn't a figment of his imagination- he was afraid he was going insane, after all, many genii did), leaving behind a beaming smile.

"Is everything okay?" The girl sitting next to him was looking at him, concern written all over her face.

Fuji gave her a reassuring smile, "I'm fine, thanks." She nodded, her concern disappearing, to be replaced by a self-satisfied smirk. He hastily erased the crescent shaped row of teeth as the bell rang, signaling the end of that class and the beginning of lunch. Standing up, he began to pack all of his belongings into a messenger back.

"Fuji-kun?" His classmate began, her voice tentative. "I was wondering if you could, uhm…" She looked down shyly. "Help me in calculus? I'm not doing too well, right now."

"Of course, Miyuki-san." He replied. She thanked him and walked away, where she was bombarded by her friends, all squealing. Fuji's smile faded. He knew the only reason she asked him to tutor her was because she was trying to claim him as her boyfriend. She was too blatantly obvious and besides, Fuji had no interest in any of the girls that threw themselves at him, even if some of them were the prettiest girls in the school. He was sure she wasn't going to be the last and she sure wasn't the first. He just felt as if there was someone else out there for him.

* * *

Fuji decided to eat lunch outside, where he could find a quiet, isolated area and read. He was currently absorbed in The Inferno by Dante for a research paper in his world literature class. It was an interesting book, really, but at some parts Fuji wished he knew Italian so that he could read the original. He knew one phrase from the novel- Lascaite ogni speranza, voi che entrate- abandon all hope, ye who enter- the phrase that was engraved above the gateway to hell. The tensai walked towards the border of a nearby forest. He was now a junior attending an elite senior high boarding school that had offered him a full scholarship, but the school was secluded, the expansive campus surrounded by a forest, much like the school from the manga the Dreaming by Queenie Chan. Taking advantage of the fact that it was a beautiful day, the boy decided to sit at the foot of a tree just on the border of the forest. Students rarely came over here, fearing the forest and preferring the rambunctious lifestyle of the dormitories, but Fuji was different. He actually liked the quiet and the peaceful nature of the forest.

He pulled out the novel he was working on- writing was just one of his many hobbies- and began to read over it, editing it with a red pen. Lunch could wait. He was working on one of his best masterpieces yet. A few minutes later, he heard a sharp squeal coming from behind him. He leapt up and whirled around, but stopped short when he saw a small boy, no more than 15, hopping up and down, a green headband covering his eyes. But what made Fuji stop and stare were the pure white rabbit ears emerging from the mussed dark blue hair. The boy was clawing at the green headband, squeaking, "Oh no, oh no! I'm late, desu, I'm late!" The high school student approached the rabbit boy cautiously.

"Do you need help?" Fuji asked gently. The young boy had yanked the band back up and was now gazing at Fuji in awe. "Hello?" The boy jumped when a nearby church bell rang, signaling the new hour.

"Oh no, desu! I'm late, I'm late!" He dashed off, much to Fuji's chagrin.

"Wait!" Fuji dropped his notebook and ran after the boy. Damn, he was fast. He kept running, following the cries of, "I'm late, I'm late!" Suddenly, he was rabbit-boy jumping into an extremely large hole in the ground. Fuji was confused. What in the world was happening? He neared the hole and glanced in. He was met by infinite darkness.

The dirt below his feet came loose. He panicked and twisted backwards, trying to grasp onto a branch of something to anchor him, but too late- he was falling.

* * *

The first thing that the boy realized was that he was completely defying the laws of physics. Instead of falling and gaining speed, as par gravity, he seemed to be slowing down. Looking around, the tensai could make out obscure shadows of objects around him. He reached out and grasped one of those indeterminable objects. Lo and behold, it was a lamp. Long, pale fingers felt around for a string and he pulled it, hoping that the lamp would work and illuminate the inky darkness surrounding him. The light flickered on and Fuji gasped at the assortment of objects around him. There were books, furniture and, to the boy's utter delight, a tennis racket. He reached out to snap the racket by the handle and he admired the equipment. The handle was his ideal size and the grip tape was perfectly wrapped, void of any tears or rips. The head of the racket was smooth and finished and the strings were of perfect tension. But there was something missing. Glancing further downwards and adjusting his grip on the lamp to illuminate the maximum distance down, he saw that there was a tennis bag up ahead. He tucked the racket under his arm and prepared himself to grab it, lamp balanced in the same arm cradling the racket. He grabbed the bag and was thrilled when he found several new, unopened cans of tennis balls. Shifting through the bag, he found sweatbands, a bag of individually wrapped pastries, a full water bottle, a new set of grip tape and two white towels.

Fuji felt his feet touch study ground. He steadied himself and stood straight, tennis bag in one hand, lamp in the other. There was a long hallway with candles illuminating the path. However, before he moved, he slung the bag onto his shoulders and put the lamp on the ground, not needing it anymore.

In the distance, he heard the familiar sound of, "I'm late, desu, I'm late!" He followed the voice down the long hallway, walking at a fast pace while admiring some of the paintings on the side. Suddenly, he heard a door slam and he picked up his pace, his powerwalk now a light jog. There was a dead end, the hallway flared out to reveal a more open space. An array of different doors lined the walls, each with a keyhole. In the middle of the space was a glass table with a single golden key sitting on the surface. The tensai picked up the key thoughtfully. He began to try the key on every door, checking each door before he inserted the key to make sure they were all already locked- they were, but the key did not work on any of them. Fuji became more desperate and agitated with every door that refused to open. Dismayed, he looked backwards to the hallway he had come from.

"If I go back, there's no way for me to go back up… But it's better than just idly sitting here, I suppose." He pulled out his cell phone to check if he had service. There was nothing. "Of course… I must be at least 4 kilometers under the surface of the ground." He let out a sigh. A breeze (how was that possible?- he was underneath the ground…) swept through the room and Fuji saw a curtain flutter with the wind. He frowned. Somehow, he could have sworn that the curtains weren't there before (or maybe he just missed them in his panic?).

A flash of red caught his eye and he stalked over to yank the cloth back. There. An impossibly small door, about half of a meter tall and a quarter of a meter wide. By no means was the door beautiful- the rotting wood was painted a bland red, flakes of the color missing to reveal the hole-speckled wood underneath. Fuji inserted the key into the dull gold keyhole and held his breath. The door swung open and the boy cheered internally, but that happiness quickly dissipated when he realized that there was no way he would be able to get through the door. Dejected, Fuji turned around and looked around, desperate for a way out.

A plain glass bottle of clear liquid sat on the glass table. Striding over to the middle of the room, he picked up the bottle and a piece of paper tied to the neck of the bottle rustled with the movement. Fuji was also positive that the bottle hadn't been there before (was he going insane?). Deftly, he caught the piece of paper between two long fingers and read the two simple words on it.

"Drink me." Fuji's eyebrows furrowed. This was way too suspicious. First the curtains magically appearing and then the bottle. This must be a dream (it felt like an awfully realistic dream though). "Oh well- it's worth a shot." He shrugged. If the drink did poison him, he would rather die that way instead of slowly dying of dehydration and boredom (but if this was a dream, then would he die in his own dream?). He unstoppered the bottle and drank some of the liquid, surprised when it tasted like blueberries. All of a sudden, as soon as he swallowed the liquid down, he felt a jolt and he looked up in surprise. The ceiling seemed to be moving further away from him… no… looking around, Fuji saw that HE was shrinking.

"This is just a dream, this is just a dream…" He muttered, clenching his eyes shut. He pinched himself, trying to wake up from this nightmare. The trademark pain came from his sharp nails digging into his skin. He opened his eyes slowly. It wasn't a dream. There was, however, one minor improvement- everything was no longer moving (he had to look on the bright side…). Fuji looked down and saw that he was about twenty centimeters tall compared to the door. He tried to open the door, but it would not move. It was locked again and the tensai looked around for the key. "Oh. Shit." He cursed. The key was on the table, which loomed above him. There was no way that he would be getting that key at his current height. "Okay, I've always been short for my age, but this is ridiculous." He complained, eye twitching slightly at the irony of the situation.

Fuji shifted the tennis bag and a brilliant idea came to his head. Dropping the tennis bag to the ground, he took out a canister of balls and the tennis racket. He opened the canister and was relieved when he heard the hiss that signified that the balls were still pressurized- what he wanted to do wouldn't have worked with flat tennis balls. Pulling his arm back, he dropped the tennis ball and then slammed it upwards into the glass table. The ball bounded back to the floor and bounced a few times before coming to a rest. Fuji dropped another ball and hit it upwards, hitting the same spot with amazing precision. Another one. Another one. There was now a small crack in the glass when he caught the final tennis ball. The tensai looked at the glass thoughtfully. A few more times. He took out another ball and began to hit again. A grimace adorned his beautiful face as he rolled his shoulder backwards to stretch it out a bit. If this were Momoshiro or Kawamura in his position, they wouldn't have had this much difficulty breaking the fragile glass. Actually, they would probably have just thrown the tennis racket at the glass. Fuji released another ball and gave a small sound of victory when he heard the satisfying crack of the glass, but what happened next completely caught him off-guard.

The glass splintered and came crashing down. Fuji was right underneath the glass, but as soon as he heard the glass falling, he had sprinted to the side, but he wasn't fast enough. A sliver of glass embedded itself into his arm and he winced in pain. As soon as he got far enough, he looked at his injury. The piece had pierced the skin near the crook of his elbow. Mouth set in a grim line, Fuji held the piece of glass firmly and pulled it out, all the while slightly whimpering in pain. The gash began to bleed and he let out an irritated sigh. With his clean hand, he rummaged through the bag for a towel, which he used to stop the bleed and then used a sweatband to bind the towel to his arm in a makeshift bandage. After that was done, he stalked angrily to the key, which shone amidst the glittering pieces of glass. He snatched it up, walked over to the door, shoved the key into the keyhole and the door swung open. His movements were violent as he slammed the door open, but that anger quickly disappeared when he looked at the world around him. He marveled at the uniqueness of the place. Suddenly, a horse neigh came from next to him right in his head and he whipped around, the tennis racket that he had held in his right hand now up. He was ready to use the racket as a weapon to defend himself, although he wasn't sure to what extent he could truly defend himself with it. There, in the air, was a miniature horse with dragonfly wings.

"A horsefly…" He said in amusement. Then he saw the other man. There was a brown-haired man kneeling on the ground, head bowed.

"Welcome to Wonderland, Alice." The other man spoke, his voice a deep baritone. "My name is Tezuka Kunimitsu." Fuji felt his heart leap at the sight of this man. "We are honored to have you back again."

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TEZUKAAAA~ Haha, I will try to work on this as much as possible over the next few... not sure how long. Anyways. REVIEW PLEASE!


	2. Chapter 2

**_WARNING: I KEEP FORGETTING TO MENTION THAT THERE WILL BE EVENTUAL YAOI. SO IF YOU DON'T LIKE YAOI, THEN STOP READING NOW. I DON'T KNOW WHAT PAIRINGS YET, BUT THERE WILL BE YAOI. _**

Okay, aside from that... I didn't get ANY reviews (except for one that I shamefully begged for...), but seriously, if I don't get any reviews for this chapter, I'm just going to give up on this story and call it done.

For those of you who do happen to read "Rebirth" (Kuroshitsuji fandom), I am going to start writing as soon as possible, but I have tennis practice almost everyday. (I'm turning into Tezuka... I'm being a devoted captain. THIS CANNOT HAPPEN!), so please be patient~

**Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis does not belong to me (which depresses me). **

* * *

"I'm…. I'm not Alice." Fuji said, his voice shaking. What exactly was this place?

"… You must be mistaken." The other boy had stood up and was now holding out a picture to Fuji. The picture showed a woman of about 13 with petite features, a pair of stunning blue cerulean eyes and long, wavy dark blonde hair. "You look almost exactly like this girl in the picture. You must be Alice."

"….." Fuji stared at the picture in shock. He had to fight from stumbling backwards in shock. "This is my great-grandmother."

Tezuka gave the other boy a look that clearly questioned his sanity. "This young woman could not possibly have children." His tone was insistent.

Fuji began to laugh mirthlessly. "No, of course not. This was my great-grandmother when she was young."

"The resemblance is remarkable." Tezuka frowned. "Except for the hair." He looked at Fuji for a good minute. (Fuji was beginning to feel uncomfortable. What the hell was this place? Although…. Tezuka was rather good-looking…. Fuji had long ago accepted that he was gay.) The tensai was startled out of his thoughts when Tezuka spoke again. "I can see the differences now. I'm sorry, you looked alike from a distance."

"Ah." Fuji didn't know how to respond to that.

"But your hair color is very different…"

"That would be from her English blood." Fuji's eyes opened mischievously. "Excuse my manners. My name is Fuji Syuusuke. My great-grandmother married a Japanese man and had my grandfather, who had my father. It's a pleasure to meet you." He looked around. "You called this place… Wonderland, right?" The splay of bright colors made the photographer wish he had his camera with him. This would be a perfect place for a photoshoot. "It's a very beautiful place."

"It won't be beautiful for much longer," Tezuka's tone was mournful, "What with the Red King being back in power…"

"Red…. King?" Fuji's eyebrows furrowed. This was now sounding a little bit frighteningly familiar. A sense of dread clenched in his stomach. It could not be possible… No….

"Yes, the Red King of Hearts… After the ruthless Red Queen died, he went mad and is now ruling Wonderland with an iron fist." His voice dropped in volume and Fuji had to lean in to hear what Tezuka was saying. "He is making Wonderland a Hell. If this continues for much longer, there may not be a Wonderland anymore."

"Was the Red Queen the one who enjoys beheading subject for fun and…" Fuji paused as he struggled to remember the faint memories. "The army of cards! And there were the gardeners who planted white roses but the Queen wanted red roses so they painted them red and… and…." Tezuka looked like he was about to start smiling (Did he ever smile?) and Fuji stopped jabbering. "Did I say something wrong?"

"I take it your great-grandmother told you her stories?" His voice was filled with amusement.

"No… I found her diary and read it. Of course, she wrote it in English and French for some unknown reason, so I had a field trip translating it." Fuji made a face. "Well, she was English and I guess she was practicing French for school or something?"

"Ah." Tezuka made a noncommittal noise. He seemed deep in thought.

"Is there anyway out of here?" The tensai shifted the tennis bag uncomfortably on his back. "I need to get home."

"The only safe way out is the way back." The other said absentmindedly. Fuji's right eyebrow raised.

"But there are others way out besides from where I came from."

"Yes." Tezuka turned abruptly and Fuji could see a sword scabbard at his waist.

"Can you please take me home?" The petite brunette scowled. He hated sounding so vulnerable, but the tennis racket that he held loosely in his right hand would not fare too well against the sword… Actually, Fuji mused, he would be dead within a matter of minutes, should Tezuka choose to attack him. The other said something, but Fuji didn't quite hear it. "Sorry, what?"

Tezuka gave a slight scowl at having to repeat himself. "I said that I'm not going to purposely put yourself in danger so that you can go home."

"I can't stay here forever!" Fuji's eyes were wide. "I have a family and I still have classes!"

"Then you should stay so that I can effectively prep you for the dangers." He turned crisply and began to walk back from where he came from. Fuji had to speed-walk to keep up with the other's long strides (Damn, why was he so short?).

"What dangers?" Screw risking his life by pissing Tezuka off. "Tezuka, tell me what dangers you're talking about!" Tezuka stopped abruptly and the other barely stopped in time.

"The Red King has a very volatile son who is proficient in sword-fighting. He knows you are here and he is aware of your lineage. His other son is a very powerful sorcerer. You must be careful." His tone was sharp, his eyes hard.

"Sorcery." Fuji stated, his tone even. "Sorcery. What the hell is this place? Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that flowers can sing and dance." He quipped dryly.

"I see you remember your great-grandmother's adventures." Tezuka responded back, as he started walking again. Fuji's mouth fell open in disbelief. No. Way. Fuji had to wonder what the hell he had eaten today. As he jogged to catch up with Tezuka, he tried to remember if anyone had gotten into his food. Maybe he was hallucinating. Absentmindedly, he unwrapped his makeshift bandage from his elbow and saw that it had stopped bleeding. He left it as it was, making a mental note to wash up later as he shook his school outfit's sleeve over all the blood. The rest of their journey was in silence. They finally reached a short pathway that led to a white cottage. Fuji stopped and stared.

"It looks… normal." The tensai chuckled at the ridiculousness of it all.

"I built it." Tezuka offered a small wry smile. "Let's go." He opened the gate.

"I like it." Fuji commented as he walked through the gate and down the trail that led to the door of the white house. "It has a cozy feeling." Fuji paused to let Tezuka pass him.

"Go on in." Tezuka held the door open. The tensai went in and gazed around in awe. Once he walked in, there was a hallway that led to the kitchen with a living room connected to the hallway and a closet to his right with stairs leading to an upstairs next to the closet. Fuji wandered into the living room, crowded with plush couches that looked clean and inviting and bookshelves overflowing with volumes, but Fuji noticed in one corner there was a space cleared for piano with a violin on top of it. Fuji, delighted, made a beeline to the violin.

"May I?" Fuji looked at Tezuka for permission and smiled broadly when Tezuka nodded.

"Do you play?" Without even asking, the taller boy could tell that Fuji played, just based on the way the shorter boy was holding the violin.

"Yes. Do you?" Fuji had a look of nostalgia on his face as he slipped the tennis bag off his shoulder and placing it gently on the floor. He picked up the wooden instrument and picked up the bow that was resting next to the violin.

"Ehhh… A little bit." Tezuka handed Fuji some golden rosin and watched Fuji's adept movements as he rosined the bow.

"Thank you." Fuji put the violin on his shoulder and drew the bow across the strings. The first movement of Max Bruch's Concerto in G Minor floated through the cottage. Fuji's pale fingers moved across the fingerboard fluidly. Dark brown eyes watched Fuji's face, eyes closed in concentration and eyebrows furrowed. A few minutes later, Fuji ended on a note with strong vibrato and let the vibrations of the string die out. He opened his eyes and placed the violin gingerly back on the piano.

Tezuka began to clap. "That was excellent." The shorter boy blushed.

"You flatter me." Fuji gave a small bow.

"Not at all." The bespectacled boy walked into the kitchen. "Excuse my manners. Would you like something to eat?"

Fuji realized that he was ravenous. "If it's not too much trouble." Tezuka gave a dismissive gesture.

"Make yourself at home." The taller boy called over from the kitchen. Fuji decided to sit on one of the chairs, but leapt back up when he felt something move behind him. A rather large cat sat on the head of the chair. Fuji stared at it. It was purple. PURPLE.

"You know, it's rude to stare…" Fuji whirled around, thinking that Tezuka had said that. "No… Look down here." The tensai looked at the animal. "Yes… now…"

"Uhhh…." Fuji's eyes were wide open. "Tezuka!" He called over to the kitchen. "There's… a purple cat in your living room… And I don't know if I'm going insane or if I already am, but I think it-"

"I'm a male." The cat purred.

"Excuse me?" Fuji was dumbstruck. "Tezuka! It- He's talking!"

"Oh, that's just Atobe." He had to strain his ears in order to hear the other over all of the ruckus. "He's a Cheshire Cat."

"A what?" Fuji was beyond confused. He was supposed to be a genius… What the hell was all of this?

"A Cheshire~" The cat smiled. (Smiled?) The animal then nimbly leapt onto the floor, where, in a shimmer of purple, he transformed into a tall, haughty looking boy clad in all purple. "Ore-sama is pleased to make your acquaintance."

"… Like… wise…" Fuji spluttered. "I'm Fuji Syuusuke." The two boys appraised each other, Fuji silently judging the horrific fashion sense of the boy. Suddenly, Atobe's eyebrows furrowed.

"Oi! Kunimitsu! Kunimitsu!" He ran to the kitchen. "KUNIMITSU!"

"What do you want, Keigo?" Tezuka sounded irritated. Fuji followed Atobe.

"This human…" Atobe seemed frantic. "Ore-sama has never seen anything like him."

"What about me?" Fuji demanded. Lovely. He was now an outcast in this outlandish land.

"Atobe Keigo." Tezuka was stern. "Here Fuji." The boy ran his hand over the tray he was holding. For a brief moment, his hand glowed a dark orange.

"Uh… Tezuka?" Fuji sat down at the small table in the middle of the kitchen. "What did Atobe mean? I'm nothing he's ever seen before." Atobe sat down across from Fuji, glaring at Tezuka.

"Everything will be explained after you eat." Tezuka replied firmly, setting down a tray of food in front of the tensai, his hand momentarily glowing orange again. Fuji saw this again. The first time, he had maybe thought that it was a trick of the light, but now he knew better.

"What was that?" Fuji was tired. So tired of all of this nonsense.

"What's what?" Tezuka asked cautiously.

"That… That orange glow." Fuji was almost afraid. Almost. But that fear didn't stem from the fact that he was in some foreign and unknown land, but more from the fact that he didn't want to let Tezuka see his insanity. Because- Fuji knew this for a fact- if Tezuka knew of the tensai's thoughts, he would immediately shun Fuji and for some reason, that scared Fuji.

"You can see it?" Tezuka seemed surprised. Atobe had sat up slightly in his chair as well, alerted to Fuji's question.

"Uhm… yes?" Fuji's eyebrows furrowed. "Why would you ask if I could see it?" He spoke slowly, trying to piece everything together. And of course, Fuji recalled a conversation that he previously had with Tezuka. "Sorcery. You know magic?"

The other boy averted his gaze. Atobe's eyes narrowed slightly. "A little bit of magic is necessary in these times." He murmured.

"What did you do to my food?" Fuji sounded wary and cautious.

"I charmed it so that you wouldn't grow or shrink," His tone was resigned. "Humans grow or shrink in Wonderland when they eat." He then pinned Fuji with a stern look. "Now will you eat?" Fuji gave a small nod as he conceded to Tezuka's demands. (Somehow, Fuji knew that his dreams were now going to be plagued with a dominant Tezuka.)

"You were surprised that I could see the magic." The tensai stated in a matter-of-factly tone after swallowing his first bite.

"Normally people cannot see my magic," Tezuka then paused, thinking over what he had just said, "Well, actually, most people can't see my magic. It's odd that you can."

"Is it now?" Atobe finally spoke. "I can see strong- very strong- magic coursing through your veins, Fuji Syuusuke."

"Magic?" Atobe smiled in a predatory way at the innocent look on the human's face.

"Yes, magic." The Cheshire Cat purred.

"Try… envisioning a ball of water in your hand." Tezuka instructed, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"I…" Fuji sighed and held out his hand. A blue glow surrounded his hand and a small ball of water began to form, gradually growing bigger and bigger. The boy was shocked. He withdrew his hand away from the center of the table, only to have the ball follow him. With a small sound of distress, he flung his hand out and the water flew across the table to his Atobe.

The now-wet boy growled as he looked down at himself. "Human, I am going to KILL you." Without warning, Atobe snarled as he launched forward at Fuji over the table. Fuji's first instinct was to raise his hand and a blue barrier now separated the furious Cheshire-cat human hybrid and the tensai. Fuji silently thanked his well-trained tennis reflexes.

"Atobe Keigo!" Tezuka's voice was sharp. He withdrew, sullen look on his face as he slunk back into his seat. "Go dry yourself."

Atobe scowled before standing up from the chair and turning around to walk out of the kitchen. Tezuka looked over at Fuji, who was still sitting at the table, eyes wide, staring at his hands. The taller boy never realized how pretty Fuji's eyes were… They were a beautiful shade of blue… And his hands… So skilled… (Tezuka wondered what else they were skilled at, wait, no, bad Kunimitsu! Stop thinking dirty thoughts!) "A-Are you okay?" Damn. His voice quavered.

"Y-yeah." Fuji's voice also shook, although for a different reason. (The tensai made a mental note to get his head checked when he got home… IF he got home. Somehow, now, he was doubting that he would ever return to the… more normal world. Maybe his pure genius was now affecting his head in some odd way… Schizophrenia?) He resumed eating, not trusting himself to speak.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you to perform magic." Tezuka sat down in the chair that Atobe abandoned. "But you are very strong."

Fuji shook his head. "Don't apologize." He smiled wryly. "I've… always known that there was something off about me." He looked back down at his food.

"Oh?" Tezuka raised an eyebrow, but this movement was completely missed by the other.

"When I was younger, I…" Fuji sighed, his eyes never leaving his food. (Tezuka assumed that Fuji's eyes were looking there… How did someone keep their eyes closed all the time like that? It was unnatural.) "I scared my little brother away because of my… oddities."

"Can you explain?" He was now genuinely interested. "I would like to hear about this."

"Hm?" Fuji looked up in surprise. No one had ever shown an interest in that particular incident before. "Oh. Well, I had discovered that I had a certain… uhm, ability when I was about… 10?" Fuji pursed his lips in thought. "Yes… I was about 10. Well, I had discovered that I could control fire, but it was only if there was fire around." Tezuka's eyebrow arched even higher. "So when I was about 13, my little brother, Yuuta and I were walking home from school when there was an unexpected snowstorm. We managed to get home, but no one else was home and the power was out. I found some candles and matches, so I lit them, but I didn't think that they provided enough light and I was very protective of my little brother, so without really thinking about it, I lit the fireplace and then took some fire from there to create balls of fire that floated through the house. Of course," Fuji hastily added upon seeing the dubious look upon Tezuka's face, "I was careful enough not to let them burn anything. But Yuuta was scared. He called me a freak, and well, after that incident, he transferred to a boarding school." Fuji gave a hollow chuckle. "I rarely see him now."

"I'm sorry." Tezuka had no idea what else to say.

"It's okay now, I grew used to it." Fuji looked at his hands. "I never thought that I could just… create an element though."

"You are truly powerful." Tezuka said truthfully. The tensai looked back up to see Tezuka's eyes glowing gold.

"What?" Fuji shook his head. "This is overwhelming."

"You might find yourself thankful that you're being overwhelmed now, in the safety and protection of this kitchen, rather than being overwhelmed later on the battlefield, where the slightest hesitation could get you killed." Atobe's grim statement was preceded by a grand entrance. Fuji stifled a groan upon seeing the horrid purple outfit that the other donned. "Wonderland has a long and bloody history. We could use you…"

"Atobe, don't jump too far ahead." Tezuka warned. The honey-haired brunette turned his attention back to the bespectacled boy.

"Can you start from the beginning?" Fuji could feel a headache coming on… Then he remembered that all of his painkillers were in his dorm room. Damn.

Atobe and Tezuka looked at each other briefly. "Beginning where? It's a very long history." Tezuka's words were slow.

The tensai's shoulders slumped as he let out a heaving sigh. "From Alice's departure then."

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Review please? I'm seriously not going to write anymore if I don't get any reviews...


	3. Chapter 3

**Authoer's Note: **So. I sincerely apologize for my ridiculously long disappearance. Good news and bad news though! I'm officially Cornell Class of 2016! Bad news! I'm a chemical engineering major with a minor in biomedical engineering, which means that I won't have a life for the next 20 years with grad/med school and my speciality/training! Sounds great. On the downside, I have AP testing next week and I've been a bad student. And I've been so stressed out and time-restrained that I gained 5 pounds. God... Time to go play tennis nonstop. Again. I PROMISE I will update EVERYTHING this summer. I SWEAR. Oh geez.

**By the way, if I up this rating to M, will any of my readers be extremely offended?**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Prince of Tennis. I wish.

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_**Chapter two recap:**_

"_Can you start from the beginning?" Fuji could feel a headache coming on… Then he remembered that all of his painkillers were in his dorm room. Damn. _

_Atobe and Tezuka looked at each other briefly. "Beginning where? It's a very long history." Tezuka's words were slow. _

_The tensai's shoulders slumped as he let out a heaving sigh. "From Alice's departure then."_

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**Chapter three: **

Tezuka nodded, a slight grimace gracing his face. "It was a very bloody affair…" He paused, then continued.

"After Alice left, the Red King and his Queen were both exiled by the Council of Wonders."

"Well, that was a mistake."

"Atobe! Anyways, they were exiled and after about three lunar cycles-"

"It was four, Tezuka."

"Stop interrupting, Atobe. The rulers came back, more powerful than ever. They were helped by their son. The King and Queen had two sons, one of whom was exiled alongside them."

"Only one?" Fuji asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"The warrior was exiled with them. The other one remained hidden from everyone until an opportune moment."

"Was the other one a sorcerer?" The brunette cocked his head.

Tezuka nodded. "His name's Shiraishi Kuranosuke." Atobe shuddered at the name.

"What's the fighter's name?" Fuji was now absentmindedly collecting a sphere of air, which floated above his hand, spinning around rapidly.

"Akutsu Jin." Tezuka responded, his voice unwavering.

"Is he good?" At that question, Atobe grew white.

"He's considered the best fighter in all of Wonderland." Atobe snorted. "Is he good? What sort of question is that?" Fuji didn't like his condescending tone, but he let it past.

"Atobe." Clearly, Tezuka wasn't willing to let it slide. "Be nice." The Cheshire rolled his eyes.

"Surely _someone_ can beat him?" The sphere disappeared as Fuji turned his full attention onto Tezuka.

"Not that I know of. I heard he surpassed even his own teacher." Atobe shrugged. "Someone has to be the best."

Fuji nodded. "Ah… I'm sorry." He turned from Atobe to Tezuka. "Please continue."

The taller brunette nodded and continued speaking. "After Shiraishi helped his parents and brother return, they overthrew the Council and established themselves on the throne again. The battle was extremely bloody. They killed each and every member of the Council."

"Who were some of the Council members?" Fuji asked curiously.

Tezuka and Atobe shared a glance. "Well… There was… The Cheshire Cat," Atobe let out a small, sorrowful whine at that name, "The March Hare, the Griffon, The White Rabbit…" Tezuka paused a little before practically whispering the last name. Fuji had to strain to hear it. "And the Mad Hatter."

"The Cheshire Cat?" Fuji looked at Atobe. "But you… Aren't you…?"

"My father." Atobe clarified.

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"It's all right. It was many revolutions ago." Atobe leaned forward and placed a hand on Fuji's. The tensai stiffened as his eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Tezuka did not comment, merely raised a slight eyebrow at it.

He cleared his throat. "Anyways, the children of the Council have gone into hiding. We are now Wonderland's last chance against the tyrannical reign of the Red King. As the descendant of Alice, will you join our ranks?"

"I don't actually know how much help I would be." Fuji admitted.

"Well, your great-grandmother did wonderfully in the chess match against the Red King last time."

"Chess match?"

"It was how her journey was portrayed." Tezuka responded, looking into Fuji's cerulean blue eyes.

Atobe stood up and slinked around the table to wrap his arms around Fuji's shoulders and purr into his ears, "With proper training, you'll be amazing." He smirked, when Fuji fidgeted uncomfortably in his grasp. "I would be very willing to teach you…"

"Atobe! Release him!" Tezuka snapped. The Cheshire scowled and drew away from Fuji, who relaxed, a look of relief on his face.

"I would like to help…" Fuji said, facing Tezuka, his mouth set in a grim line, "Although I don't know if we have time to 'properly' train me."

"How quickly can you learn?" Tezuka asked, hazel eyes staring straight into cerulean.

Fuji gave him a brilliant smile, his eyes closing. "They don't call me a genius for nothing."

Tezuka gave him a small smile. "Excellent."

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"Relax your knees! Don't lock your elbows, Fuji!" Atobe called out. Fuji moved awkwardly, the broad-sword glinting in the bright light. He winced as Tezuka's heavy attack forced him a few steps back. The sword was heavy and hindered his movements. "Don't take your eyes off your opponent! Watch his movements! Become one with the sword!"

Fuji blinked his eyes, trying to shield his eyes from stinging as sweat dripped into the orbs. "Shut up, Atobe!" He gritted out. The normally complacent tensai was quickly becoming irritated.

"Just trying to help…" Atobe drawled in an offended tone, watching in amusement as Fuji ducked down to avoid one of Tezuka's swings. He then leapt up and went for Tezuka's left shoulder. The taller boy stepped back and gracefully caught Fuji's attack with his sword, knocking it away from his body. He then responded with a flurry of fierce attacks. Fuji blocked all of the hits, but his movements were extremely choppy, as if he were unsure of what he was doing. Suddenly, his knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Tezuka paused and dropped his sword before kneeling next to the slender male.

"Are you all right?" He asked, voice concerned.

Fuji nodded. "I'm just tired. Do you happen to have anything lighter?" He was used to using the traditional Japanese katana instead of the heavy medieval broadsword.

"Tezuka, you didn't even ask him what weapon he wanted?" Atobe's voice was scolding. Tezuka gave him a wary glance before turning back to Fuji. "I do have lighter swords. I'm sorry, I assumed that you never used a sword before."

"I had some training with weapons." Fuji admitted. Tezuka held out his hand and Fuji handed him the broadsword. "Just never with anything quite this heavy." He could feel the strain in his arms and he was worried that his wound would reopen again.

"Come." Tezuka turned and began to walk into the house. Fuji and Atobe followed him. The tall brunette opened a door and pushed away jackets and hats to reveal a tall mirror at the back. The mirror's bright surface reflected Fuji and Tezuka, but only them. Not Atobe, not their surroundings.

The Cheshire Cat scowled. "Fine." He turned away and wandered back to the kitchen, presumably to find something to eat.

Tezuka inspected the mirror briefly, glancing between Fuji and the surface. "I'm impressed."

"Huh?" The tensai asked dumbly.

"It seems that you truly are powerful." Tezuka touched Fuji's shoulder and closed his eyes. "Yes… You are."

"How…?" He was dumbstruck.

"The mirror." It didn't _quite_ answer Fuji's question, but he ignored it when Tezuka suddenly moved away to step forward and run a hand down the elaborate wooden border. His hand glowed orange and there was a sharp click. The mirror swung forward to reveal a passageway. "Follow me." He ducked down to enter the tunnel.

Fuji followed, taking care not to tread on anything in the closet. He nimbly jumped into the passage and followed Tezuka down the dimly lit area. "Where are we?" Fuji's eyes were wide as he looked around.

"Underground." His answer was simple. He held out a hand and murmured some words. The rocks glowed in the same orange as his hand. Fuji sighed. He had always wished he could do magic, but ironically enough, when he could do magic, he was thrust in the middle of a war.

"How long will you take to train me?" He asked anxiously, thinking of what his friends and family would think about him missing.

"Don't worry." Tezuka seemed to read his thoughts. "Your presence in Wonderland suspended time temporarily in the real world." He stopped and looked down the tunnel. All Fuji could see was a dead end. "There's some sort of strange time-dimension theory involved."

"Oh." He fell silent and watched Tezuka keep his orange-glowing hand on the wall.

"It's to deactivate booby-traps." Tezuka explained. "Here." They came to a dead end. Tezuka looked back at Fuji. "Do you mind taking my hand? This normally needs two people, but since you're here, I can draw magic from you." Fuji nodded, understanding that Tezuka wasn't trying to insult his lack of magical training- after all, it was nonexistent.

"Of course. Whatever you nee." Tezuka grasped the tensai's hand and the shorter boy felt heat rush to his face. He prayed that Tezuka didn't look at his face, which he was sure was bright red. Tezuka placed his hand on the wall and it glowed again, but instead of being pure orange, it had blue streaks swirled into it. Fuji could feel his energy being drained. "It's almost over." Tezuka's voice was soothing.

"I'm okay." Fuji felt even more tired, but alertness chased away the fatigue when the wall shifted and moved aside. He gaped in awe at the array of weapons in the open room. "Wow." He gazed around, speechless.

"Take your pick." Tezuka placed the broadswords he had been holding on a table nearby. "Take whatever you want."

Fuji immediately headed over to the bows on the wall. "These are beautiful…" He whispered, taking a laminated _yumi _in his hand and feeling the weight of it in his hand.

"Do you shoot?" Tezuka asked, walking over to Fuji, who was experimentally drawing the bow.

He nodded. "My parents were odd and they had me learn a variety of skills."

"Would you like to test it out?" Tezuka asked.

Fuji's eyes lit up. "Could I?" He asked excitedly. Tezuka led him to a separate smaller training room, where a series of targets were set up across the room. Fuji had grabbed a roll of string and a quiver filled with arrows. The brunette situated himself across from one of the targets and he drew the bow. With a _twang_, the string was released and the arrow embedded itself into the target. Bullseye.

"Is there anything you can't do?" Tezuka asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm antisocial." Fuji responded, drawing his bow again after he fitted the arrow in. He released it again and it landed neatly in the bullseye again. "I'm better at archery than I am at using a katana though. I was never one for close-combat." He admitted. "Martial arts were always a disaster for me." He strung another arrow and released it, however, this time, there was a sharp pain that ran up his arm. He let out a curse as he gently drew the bow back to rest position (A/N: I am not an archer- I have no idea what this is all called).

"Are you all right?" Tezuka asked, alarmed.

Fuji drew up his sleeve, wincing at the sight of his open wound. "Yeah… Just stings a little…" He sighed as he touched it.

"Stop that!" Tezuka exclaimed, gently smacking his hand away. "You fool." He muttered, almost angrily, but his hands were gentle as he inspected the wound, ignoring the blood staining his hands.

"I'm okay, really." Fuji put on a reassuring smile, despite the pain. But it didn't fool the other.

"You need to see Oishi."

"Oishi?" Fuji asked.

"He's one of the resident medics." Tezuka explained, helping Fuji up.

"Tezuka, it's just an arm injury." The tensai said gently.

"Don't ever let your guard down." He responded, scooping up the other bridal style.

His face flushed red. "T-Tezuka!" He exclaimed. "I can walk!"

"Again. Don't let your guard down." The tall male walked rapidly towards where they had came in. "I am absolute rubbish at healing magic. My magic is actually quite limited. I'm more of a fighter." He admitted softly to Fuji.

"B-But…. You seem so powerful…" Fuji replied, staring at Tezuka in awe, stubbornly ignoring their proximity.

"That's because you're inexperienced." He replied nonchalantly. "Also, I possess a black opal that increases my spell power."

Fuji let out a small sigh. "I really don't know how I'll be of any use to you." He murmured quietly. "I'll probably just get killed." He felt Tezuka's arms tighten around his body and he tensed a little.

"No you won't." Tezuka gritted his teeth, as if the thought of losing Fuji pained him (But… of course, that was just his wishful thinking). "Now be quiet. Save your energy." Fuji shook his head, but did as Tezuka told him.

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"Oishi!" Tezuka had carried Fuji quite a ways before coming upon another cottage, similar to Tezuka's in everything except the color. The tensai was sure he'd never seen an establishment colored such a neon orange. The door opened to reveal a male slightly shorter than Tezuka with an odd hairstyle.

"Tezuka!" He exclaimed before noticing the blood. "Oh dear. Come in, come in." He ushered the two in. Tezuka rested Fuji gently on a white bed in the room to their right. "Eiji!" Oishi called over his shoulder. "I need warm water and bandages!"

"Hoi hoi!" A slender redhead bounced into the room, sloshing the water everywhere. "Here ya go, Oishi!" He grinned, as if pleased with himself.

Oishi sighed. "You dumped all the water out, Eiji." He pointed to the water trail on the wooden boards behind the other.

"Oh… Well…. How did that happen?" Eiji frowned. "I'll get some more, nya!" He turned and bounded back to the kitchen.

"I'll go check on him." Tezuka replied, a barely noticeable twitch in his brow. Oishi nodded in acquiescence before turning to Fuji and prodding his arm gently.

"Pray tell, how did you receive this injury?" He asked, smiling soothingly at the other. Fuji told him the story of the key and the glass table. "Oh dear…" The tensai wasn't sure what Oishi was referring to at this point- his story or the loud caterwauling coming from the kitchen.

"I CAN DO THIS TEZUKA. YOU'RE SUCH A BIG MEANIE!" There was Eiji's voice.

"…" Fuji could hear the other mentally counting to ten in his head.

"OISHIIII, TEZUKA'S BEING MEEEAAAAAAN!" Fuji resisted the urge to cover his ears.

"Can you hold this to your arm for a little?" Oishi asked the other, handing him a towel. Fuji did as he was told as Oishi went to take care of the situation in the kitchen.

"Eiji, Tezuka's just trying to help." He could hear Oishi explaining patiently.

"BUT HE'S BEING MEAN!" Eiji wailed. Fuji smiled and shook his head as Tezuka walked into the room, more towels and the basin of water in his hands.

"Is Eiji always like this?" He asked, grinning as he heard Eiji's cries and Oishi's attempts to comfort him.

Tezuka shot him a glare, which Fuji took as an affirmative. He chuckled lightly as Tezuka cleaned his arm. "Kikumaru has always had a tendency to slight overreaction."

"You're very diplomatic, Mr. Tezuka." Fuji smiled at the other. "That sounds like more than a slight overreaction."

"…" Tezuka didn't say anything but continued washing his arm.

"I can do that myself, Tezuka." Fuji didn't want to admit how much he enjoyed Tezuka's touch, but at the same time, he craved more.

"No." Tezuka said stubbornly, pinning Fuji's hand to his side. The tensai flushed immediately as his larger hand engulfed his own.

"Ne, Tezuka…" Fuji frowned as a sudden thought occurred to him. "You know how I was speaking of dying earlier?"

"Let's not talk about this, Fuji." Tezuka growled.

Of course, Fuji didn't listen. "What would happen if I died in this dimension?"

Tezuka froze. "It won't happen." He scowled.

"Is that a promise to yourself or me?" Fuji teased lightly. Tezuka's grip tightened on Fuji's arms.

"Both." Their eyes met and Fuji was startled to see iron conviction in his eyes. "Because I won't let you die." Those words sent Fuji's head spinning. _What did he mean?_


	4. AUTHOR UPDATE because guilty feelings

So uhm... I realize I've been MIA for almost a year now and I sincerely apologize for it. I do intend on returning to writing, but I think what I'm going to do is go back and rewrite/edit things and move on over to AO3. Li might continue updating on here, not sure but we'll see. I intend on continuing every fic, and my new plan is to write at least two chapters in advance before I post a new one- I'll see if this encourages me to write faster. Thank you so much for being patient and I promise that all of my fics will come to a conclusion sometime within the next month. (You guys can hop on over to my tumblr and bug me about updating too). Thanks a gain and I'm so sorry it's taken this long.


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